Sonja Niles

What did our critic think of EVERY BRILLIANT THING at USD Theatre?

What did our critic think of MACBETH at Augustana University Theatre?

Great Family Fun!

The opening night performance of HAIR at The Premiere Playhouse was a loud, proud and purposeful showing of rock music artistry with some technical elements that unfortunately overshadowed the actors on stage at various points in the show. 

Director Jeff Larson  and the cast of LOVE AND INFORMATION, a play by Caryl Churchill, have delivered a standout production that plays really well in an intimate space like White Wall Studios. The actors that portray the various characters reveal layer after layer of personality and emotion in this wild ride of thought and introspection. 

I loved this crazy roller coaster ride of storytelling delivered with a patchwork of musical genres.

BIG FISH is a Broadway Musical  adapted from Tim Burton’s 2003 film of the same title, and is the story of a man named Edward Bloom who aspired to do “great things” and be the hero of his own life story. He tries to relate that sense of adventure and aspiration in his son and all the people around him by telling tall tales.

Opening Night of OKLAHOMA! at The Premiere Playhouse was a stroll down memory lane for the audience with a few “fresh takes' on the songs and scenes of the musical as written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.   The vocalists were all very strong performers and most of them were particularly inventive in their interpretations of songs.

A compelling depiction of generational trauma and perseverance. The World Premiere of THIS IS MY BODY by Grace Ahles, Hanna Beshai, and Richard W. Swanson at Edith Mortenson Centre theatre is a throughtfully presented piece of theatrical collaboration. It should be noted with some studied admiration,  that the set is a masterful work of construction and design.

What did our critic think of THE PREMIERE PREMIERES at The Premiere Playhouse?

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at The Premiere Playhouse?

Delightful family fare and theatrical perfection!

What did our critic think of BEETLEJUICE at Washington Pavilion? Shows like BEETLEJUICE, touring the country and showing at the Washington Pavilion’s Mary Sommervold Hall this week are a visual spectacle of lighting and scene design genius. As the show opens the effects that draw us into this wacky tale on the subject of “death” are mesmerizing and sometimes hypnotic in the way that our eye is drawn into the scene

DWU Theatre is seeking actors for the Fall Production of 'Hedda Gabler' by Henrik Ibsen.

The Premiere Playhouse production of Grease checks off a lot of the boxes of what a great night at the theatre is all about. The band, led by Music Director Matthew Walicke provided a tight sound for this talented cast to rely on by setting a great pace and maintaining a good flow to this production. They facilitated seamless scene changes with their reprises and added a nice level of energy to the production.  

The 2023 - 2024 Season for the LIVE On Stage Concert Series was announced to a Sioux Falls audience at the Thursday, April 27th concert of DIVAS 3 at the Washington Pavilion's Mary Sommervold Hall.

What did our critic think of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA at The Premiere Playhouse?

What did our critic think of DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Washington Pavilion? The touring production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN opened on Thursday, April 18th in the Mary Sommervold Hall at the Washington Pavilion with the preshow sounds of social media alerts and a visual array of platforms streaming via projections on a stage with 25 foot panels that also moved throughout the show to create the scenes of this complicated, emotional story of a young man caught up in a heartbreaking lie.

Delightful, dazzling touring production!